


Model Behavior

by alecmagnuslwb



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, clary is a disaster lesbian and we love her for it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 10:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alecmagnuslwb/pseuds/alecmagnuslwb
Summary: Senior art student Clary finds herself completely enamored by the new class art model, Maia.





	Model Behavior

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written Claia as the main couple in a fic (though if you've been here before you've probably noticed they're a favorite of mine to use in my Malec fics), so hopefully this is cute!

This is far from Clary’s first course with a live model, she’s a senior, she’s done this a million times before. She’s sat in a room with twenty other students as men, women, nonbinaries and everyone in between dropped their robes in the center of the room and she’s let the inspiration take over to draw her heart out for two hours.

And oh, she’s feeling inspired right now, but she’s barely put her charcoal to the sheet of paper in front of her because the model at the center of the classroom is an absolute goddess. The complicated position the woman, Maia as their teacher had introduced her at the start of class which is a name just as pretty as the woman herself, sits in on the platform gives Clary a perfect view of almost everything.

She has perfect smooth skin save for the intricate butterfly tattoo on her lower back and the light, long scar on her collarbone, both of which Clary would like to trace with her fingertips and then her lips. Her curly hair is braided back in multiple sections on one side of her head giving Clary a stunning view of her neck from where she’s seated and the only piece of anything that graces her body is a dainty golden bracelet on her right wrist that looks mesmerizing against her skin.

Clary knows she’s staring, she’s trying not to, she knows that she needs to draw a figure of this gorgeous deity, but she’s never had such a difficult time focusing. She’s never had this immediate of a reaction to any woman she’s ever met, not even Maureen who’d been her first everything in high school and Clary had never thought she’d move on from. She’s never even spoken to this woman, only knows her name and that she looks ethereal under the natural light streaming in from the many windows of the classroom. But Clary is enraptured, she’s not even listening to the mix playing through her headphones that usually gets her exactly in the headspace she needs for this type of drawing.

Her reverie is completely thrown when a not so quiet cough comes from behind her. She swings her head around to see her teacher give her a somewhat judgmental tilt of the head as she looks to Clary’s canvas then back at her. Clary gives an apologetic smile hoping to placate her, it seems to work as her teacher rolls her eyes and continues walking down the row of easels. Clary looks back, this time at her canvas to see she’s drawn quite literally only one line that resembles the curve of a thigh. A really beautiful thigh, but still just that.

She gets back to work, diligently moving her charcoal in curving lines and waves, only glancing up at Maia when necessary. Before she knows it her teacher is clapping calling time for the class and Clary’s popping her ear buds from her head, the two-hour session completely slipping away from her as she has only somewhat completed one leg. A little mournfully she watches as Maia slips on the purple silky robe that’s been lying at her feet the whole time as the teacher thanks her for her time.

Maia swerves her head around in Clary’s direction as the teacher’s attention is diverted to a passing student, Clary immediately looks down packing up her charcoals. She moves to flip her large sketchpad closed a moment after that.

“Doesn’t look like you got much done there,” a teasing, but lovely voice says as Clary freezes halfway to covering up her lack of a sketch.

Clary turns and is met up close with the cutest smile she’s ever seen on another person’s face. Because up close, Maia is somehow impossibly prettier and that smile could rival the sun and the moon and the stars all at once.

“Oh, I um, I-“ Clary stutters out desperately searching her mind for an appropriate response or if her disastrous brain can muster it up something smooth.

“Not feeling inspired?” Maia asks, her smile going lopsided a little and maybe even a hint disappointed. And Clary can’t have that, can’t have this woman before her thinking she doesn’t inspire awe and art, hell this woman is art.

“Oh, goddess no,” Clary scrambles with a shy smile that makes it clear she’s interested. “I was definitely feeling inspired.”

Maia’s smile brightens again this time with a pleased, flirtatious edge.

“Just got a little distracted is all,” Clary continues as she morphs into a more confident smile, pushing the loose hair that’s escaped the long braid she keeps it in for classes like this behind her ears.

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Maia says with a smirk. She puts one hand on her hip and for a brief second Clary’s attention is drawn to it. For the first time she notices the light pink polish on her short nails save for the middle finger which is painted in the stripes of the bi pride flag, it looks nice and considering the amount of staring she did for the past two hours she can’t believe she missed it.

“A little,” Clary shrugs her head tilting back up catching Maia’s knowing eyes that say she saw her eyes tilt down and quite possibly knows Clary was watching her in a much more than class appropriate way the entire time. “But there’s always next class.”

Maia hums, “Sadly, I won’t be your model next week, busy with finals of my own.”

Clary deflates a little because that is disappointing, but also maybe a good thing. She can’t really afford to fail this class in her second to the last semester of her college career. She’s also pretty certain that her teacher won’t accept ‘the model was too pretty’ as an excuse for failing.

“But maybe I can do some private modeling sometime,” Maia says smoothly not missing a beat.

Clary bites her lip, fairly certain her cheeks might be turning a shade similar to her hair. Because wow, Clary couldn’t pull off that line in a million years, but the way Maia said it was like she hadn’t even needed to think for a moment about the words.

“But first maybe we could get some coffee sometime,” Maia continues on. “I’m Maia by the way, Maia Roberts.” She holds out a hand for Clary to shake and Clary takes it immediately.

“Clary Fray,” she says releasing her lip from her teeth with a smile as she squeezes Maia’s hand gently. “I’m free right now,” Clary continues gesturing towards the door with a tilt of the head.

Maia nods her head releasing Clary’s hand, “Me too,” she pauses gesturing at herself quickly. “I just need to get dressed really quick.”

Frankly, Clary wouldn’t mind if she just went in that robe, but she understands the ridiculous societal need and requirement for clothes.

“I’ll wait for you at the front,” Clary says as she steps away.

Two hours later she’s laughing at some silly pun Maia says and she’s impossibly more enamored by the moment as she sips her latte. Maia’s a marine biology major, working on applying for grad schools while finishing up her senior year, the modeling is a side gig she does for extra cash when she has the time mostly for lower level freshman classes. She’s kind and witty with a heavenly amount of fierce inside her. She backtracks a bit when the subject switches to family life, but Clary doesn’t mind, she hopes there will be many more coffee dates and other outings to learn the ins and outs of each other, the deeper stuff that can’t be said over a Frappuccino at three in the afternoon.  

Eventually the sun starts to dip a little lower in the sky and they both realize that sadly their time for today is up. Night jobs are calling, for Clary at a coffee shop that looks a lot like the one they’re sitting in and for Maia at a bar downtown that Clary promises to stop in for a drink at some time.

They linger outside of the coffee shop for far longer than they should, but Clary’s earned a reputation at her job for being a bit frazzled and often late already and no ones fired her yet so she’s not worried about it, especially not when the company that’s keeping her is as incredible as Maia.

Eventually small talk comes to a halt and Maia is the first one with the strength to pull away. She reaches out, brushing one of those wild hairs that are always escaping Clary’s braid behind her ear. Her fingers linger moving softly along Clary’s jaw stopping at her chin to tilt her head up lightly. Their eyes meet and it’s a silent request, one Clary responds to immediately leaning in to press her lips to Maia’s. She feels Maia’s fingers move from her jaw to the back of her neck in a soft grip holding Clary close. She can taste the caramel from Maia’s Frappuccino on her lips and tongue and another distinct and exquisite flavor that she’s certain is all just naturally Maia.

Eventually they part, breathing unfortunately being a requirement for human life. They smile softly at one another and after a quick exchange of numbers that make Maia realize she really is going to be late to work she jets off in the opposite direction of Clary after placing a brief goodbye kiss to her lips.

Clary watches until Maia’s well out of her eye line standing there with a no doubt ridiculously goofy smile on her face her fingers tracing her own lips where Maia’s had just been. Today may have categorically been one of her worst days as an artist in any class she’s ever taken, but at the end of it she’s going home with the taste of a beautiful girl still on her lips, a new number in her phone and the promise of a dinner. For all of that she’ll easily take one bad day in class, just as long as Maia sticks to some of the lower level classes in the future for the sake of Clary’s degree.

**Author's Note:**

> Was this an excuse to talk about how pretty Maia Roberts is for 1,000 words? Perhaps. 
> 
> Until then, find me on tumblr: alecmagnuslwb


End file.
